Earl of Caithness: My Lords, my father was privileged to be the factor at Balmoral from 1955 to 1965, and that was where I spent my happy childhood. My memories of His Royal Highness are therefore those of a boy aged between 10 and 17. I particularly remember the kindness with which His Royal Highness and Her Majesty treated our family, in particular my father after he lost a leg in 1960 due to a thrombosis. He was kept on in employment for another five years. That is quite normal now, but in the 1960s it was most unusual. It was a gesture way ahead of its time and very much appreciated by all of us.
I also remember His Royal Highness as a young parent—my father was 15 years older than him. When Prince Philip appeared, active and energetic as always, there was a noticeable contrast, and that rather struck me when I was a boy. The thought that one might meet him was always daunting, but when I actually did, it was a totally different feeling: he had the unique ability that some people have to make one feel totally at ease. Even as a difficult child between the ages of 10 and 17, you felt that you were the most important person in the world and that he wanted to talk to you rather than somebody much more important. It was an amazing ability that he had, and if some of us could pass that on in how we treat our grandchildren, the world might become a happier place.
I also remember going to a barbecue and being slightly amazed that the person doing the cooking was Prince Philip—that too was unusual in the early 1960s. Not only that but Her Majesty was doing the washing up as some of the dirty pans were passed her way. It is a wonderful memory to have. On another occasion, we were on the hill and I happened to be sitting next to Prince Philip—I remember him sitting there with his binoculars fixed to his eyes—and he pointed out some rare bird. It did not mean very much to me at the time, but what sunk in was that what he was doing was important. Along with my father, he certainly helped generate in me the interest that I have in conservation and the environment.
Another memory is dancing. His Royal Highness was an extremely good dancer. I remember our various little dancing lessons to teach Prince Charles and Princess Anne how to do Scottish reels and Scottish country dancing, which he knew very well. He was always there to encourage and cajole, and to bring the best out of the young and get them to do it in the way that they should.
Returning to conservation, it was that for which I will remember His Royal Highness the most—the days with Sir Peter Scott and my late friend Lord Buxton of Alsa. It was Prince Philip who narrated “The Enchanted  Isles”, about the Galapagos Islands, in 1967, breaking new ground by presenting on television a hugely important documentary about the islands. I think that it is due largely to Prince Philip that the Galapagos Islands and the rare species there have survived and thrived in the way they have. Thank you, sir, for that.
In this country, it was in the World Wide Fund for Nature and the wildlife and conservation trust, among others, that he took a huge interest. He demonstrated that himself. At Sandringham, he increased the wild partridge population, but, more than that, he knew that if he increased the number of partridges, he would increase the survival chances of lots of other species that were equally threatened. It was not until I became a chartered surveyor that I realised that in what he was doing at Balmoral in the 1960s, with the preservation of the Caledonian Forest and the regeneration of some of the heather moorland that had gone backwards, how advanced and forward thinking he was on those fronts.
I was immensely privileged to have that childhood and am extraordinarily grateful to His Royal Highness and Her Majesty for their kindness to our family and for what he taught me. If I can pass on just a fraction of that, I will be a happy man.

Earl of Dundee: My Lords, along with your Lordships, I send my condolences to Her Majesty the Queen and the Royal Family. I got to know His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh when over several years he came to stay with us in Scotland to take part in a local carriage driving event. Although he was by then already in his late 70s, needless to say, he was undaunted by the challenges of the terrain, and with consummate skill he negotiated the hairpin bends of this rather uneven ground with the gusto and enthusiasm of a teenager, in spite of occasional protestations from his equerry, himself an energetic man then in his early 80s, Sir Brian McGrath.
While always positive and good-humoured, what so many recall as being particularly impressive was the Duke of Edinburgh’s humility and lack of self-importance. He was quick to put everyone at ease with his perceptive understanding, and in conversation he showed his eagerness to help and encourage whenever he could. With that attitude and those beliefs, it is hardly surprising that nationally and internationally, as Her Majesty’s consort, he is held in such great respect and has promoted so much good will— not least through the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme, started by him here and now in 140 other countries. It promotes well-being, self-development, outreach and other opportunities that he has enabled for countless numbers of young people as they grow up.
I join with noble Lords in looking back on his life and work with huge thanks and great joy.

Baroness McIntosh of Pickering: I add my deepest condolences to Her Majesty the Queen and all the Royal Family on their loss. Today, it is a privilege to recognise and pay tribute to the lifelong service that His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh gave to Her Majesty the Queen, the Crown, the country and the Commonwealth. He was a Prince of Denmark and one-time holder of a Danish passport. He was the most exemplary role model as liegeman and the most faithful follower of Her Majesty the Queen.
His Royal Highness was an early influence in my life, as chancellor of the University of Edinburgh, and even before that with his interest in the environment, expressing genuine passion and concern for wildlife and the environment long before it was fashionable to do so. He was the founder of the World Wildlife Fund and its first president. He made a huge contribution to running Her Majesty’s private estates at Sandringham and Balmoral, as well as Windsor Great Park and Home Park. His interest in the environment, wildlife and climate change was well ahead of its time. In 1970, the World Wildlife Fund established its highest conservation award in his name, the Duke of Edinburgh Conservation Award, to recognise and encourage significant achievement in the global environmental field. David Bellamy was another great influence where I grew up in Teesdale as a botanist and environmentalist, in particular in trying to protect the blue gentians. How fitting that His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh organised the David Bellamy inaugural lecture in 2013 at Buckingham Palace.
His Royal Highness The Prince Philip firmly held a belief in safeguarding the planet and its resources for future generations. It is a belief we should all seek to emulate in his memory. May he rest in peace and, in the words of the Danish prayer, “Guds engle ham bevar”—may God’s angels protect him.